"I feel as if the blood drive gives the student the opportunity to give back early in life, and they are saving lives," said Judy Thomas.

Northshore High School recently had a few trademark vehicles parked in front of the front office: The Bloodmobiles. Northshore held its annual blood drive, and invited students 16 and older to see if they qualify to donate blood for a great cause.

The Blood Drive Center is a primary supplier of blood to those who need it and were excited to bring their buses to Northshore, and the students were excited (and anxious) to help out.

Students were called out of the class of their choosing to donate, and were asked questions about their qualifications to donate. After qualifying, they were pointed toward a bus and presented a complimentary T-shirt, snack, and juice. Furthermore, students who donated had their names placed into a drawing for a $10 Subway gift card.

The fear of blood and pain scares some students away. Junior Charlotte Palermo, however, was not among those deterred. It was so scary!" Palermo admitted. "This was my second year giving blood, and I was still nervous. As the process progressed, I was able to relax, and I knew I was doing it for a great cause.”

“For a high school, we have contributed a lot,” said Thomas, “I feel as if the blood drive gives the student the opportunity to give back early in life, and they are saving lives. On behalf of The Blood Center, thank you to all the students who contributed.”

Self-defense basics taught

On March 22, several female Northshore students, parents, and teachers gathered in the Northshore’s gym, dubbed The Jungle, to learn some important information: How to protect themselves from attackers.

Northshore’s PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association), under the guidance of Christine Smiley, organized the event after receiving a grant from the St. Tammany District PTA to host an activity that brought parents, teachers, and students together.

“We brainstormed and came up with an idea to incorporate all of the above,” said Smiley. A self-defense class seemed like an appropriate and beneficial way to embody the spirit of the PTSA.

Seventy-five attendees signed up before registration was closed, and everyone who showed up received a goody bag filled with donations from contributing companies as well as a T-shirt and quiz on sexual assault statistics.

Taekwondo instructors Bret Barras and Brian James came to help out with techniques to escape from grabs and retaliate in order to effectively get away. They warned of fear paralysis and gave the girls the advice to yell “Fire!” when being attacked. The two also brought along informational PowerPoints and stories of kidnappings and rape statistics.

“It was actually very interesting and informative,” said Senior Ashley Pericone, “I know a lot about defense, but the class taught me a lot more… People have a lot more weak spots than you think.”

“The statistics surprised me,” agreed Junior Caroline Wadge, “I had no idea that many women didn’t know how to protect themselves. As a result, I left feeling a bit paranoid, but sure I could take on anyone that came my way.”

Everyone seemed to enjoy the demonstrations and learned a lot about the various aspects of self-defense, particularly awareness of surroundings. There are some well informed, i.e. safe, Panthers prowling around Slidell.

Lady Panthers powerlifting

On March 16, the Northshore High girls’ powerlifting team competed in Monroe for the coveted state title. The girls finished second in the meet, just one point separating the team from the state champions of West Monroe. The girls put a lot of work into the meet and a few stars shone.

One of these remarkable young ladies, senior Julia Swigart, made Northshore proud with her accomplishments at the meet by nabbing the title Most Outstanding Lifter. Swigart, competing in the 97-pound weight class, squatted 260 pounds, benched 140 pounds, deadlifted 285 pounds, and totaled a whopping 685 pounds.

“I broke all three regional records in my weight class this year, and the state bench record with 140,” said Swigart. “My greatest accomplishment was becoming Outstanding Lifter because it’s always been a goal, but I never knew if I could actually get that award. This year I pushed myself and finally got it.”

Jessica Fair won the 123 weight class as well, and Ashley Gicas set the bench record for the 148 weight class at 205 pounds.